These buggies have been abandoned at the ferry terminal. The people who owned them could not be "Arsed" to fold them up and put them on to the buses. The Social Services will give them new buggies next week!

I told you how that thief of life called time has been playing tricks on me!. Well Harrods in London has opened its Christmas shop. Back to school bargains are on the back of the buses and "White Christmas" is coming to the Grand Canal theater.

I thought I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.But it was just a guy with a miners lamp on his head with 2 buckets of shit for me.

I have a broad back, I can take it.

"Thank God I'm an atheist"

The way things are it will soon be like it is in Australia. I thank my childhood friend Sam for this click hereOver here in Ireland there are hundreds of illegal drivers with forged papers at the garda check they drive away. Why in Gods name they are not stopped before there is a murder is the question.

Friday, July 29, 2011

There was a lot of sexual content where it was not needed.The magic and mind reading were great.

But when a Monk pulls up his gown and exposes a long penis, then stretches it out towards a (she said) 17 year girl. Then he lets it go to show it was made of rubber and dangles it in front of her face!.

The entire show cannot go anywhere.

Unless it is for Hen Nights or Stag Nights.

I know the show was over 16. But it lacked direction and taste.

As my old teacher used to say. "Could do a lot better".

I don't know how it happened but time seems to have jumped forward.I can remember a time before television.

( A thing with black and white pictures and shutters that closed over the screen )

The radio used to be closed off during the day and shut down around 10pm.for the night.Then we would screw the dial around to Radio Luxembourg.

Later on,how could we forget "the pirates" Radio Caroline being the best of the lot.

Suddenly time has moved on and people download music and films on to Ipods or mobile phones. People walk under buses as they shuffle through their songs.Kids on bicycles drive through red lights not hearing the ambulance coming through the lights on green! Youth lives in a world of their own.

New TVs are now linked into the Internet and are as big as a front door, I have an Internet radio which picks up every radio station in every country in the world.

I had a crystal radio set when I was a kid.

Now you can go on the net and podcast TV programes and radio shows from all over the place.

RTE 1 this morning had John Sheehan from the Dubliners on.

He was the non drinker and a great fiddle player.

You do remember the Marino waltz?

When I was just a lad working in Charlemount St. Martin Brennan introduced me to Luke Kelly.There was a grocery shop across the road "Caddens" and beside it was"Blacks"the home of the fantastic Mary and Francis Black.I was immersed in greatness then only few of us knew it at the time.

My son David was supposed to be coming with me to the magic show. He had band practice and declined. I rang a friend who has a mentally handicapped daughter. Later on he told me how the whole family were slipping deeper and deeper into despair. While at the same time as politicians are laughing at us from their mansions.

You can tell the value of any society by how well they take care for their sick and their elderly.

Then tonight around 8 pm there was a great programme about Russian Caviar !I think that was on Lyric fm.

You think of a thing and Google it, suddenly you have 30,000 reference points and you have it sussed.

There was 2.500 taxis in Dublin 10 years ago, now there are 15,000 taxis trying to fit into the same number of spaces.

Though for myself I think it is time to step back for a moment.

It is not for me to be upset when I let a car across the traffic and they don't give a wave.Why should I be upset when a blind man is not offered help to cross the road?

Today a guy cut me off at the 5 lamps, I slotted in behind him and then gave him a hoot of the horn as I drove down the bus lane past him by 50 yards.

Perhaps I am turning into an asshole too!(No, I always was one)

I do suppose that life is all about going with the punches and not taking anything personal.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Birds of prey on display in the Rose garden festival in St Annes park, they are used to keep birds away from airports and rubbish dumps.

Lost Russian sailors

Well here we are, the Galway races are in full swing and so is a photographic event.There are so many things happening that you should look at a few websites and plan ahead.Tomorrow I am off to see Keith Barrys show in the Olympia, it should be good.

I have known Keith before either of us were famous.

As Paul Daniels once said "I love magic, it's such fun!. The only way to have more fun is to take your clothes off" "But in your case John, keep them on"

Anyhow enough name dropping.

Did you know that FISM, the Olympics of magic will be taking place in Blackpool next year?If you are into magic this will be your Mecca.It will be massive.

Do you like magic?I once got a massive tip for showing a client a simple magic trick.

we should all have a party piece.

Do you like this ?

Because both of these are a silent acts they can work all over the world!

I saw an illusion done on TV by a French magician once, he was at Blackpool last year but he was a complete ashole in person. (this happpens) Anyhow he did this fantastic trick once where he took a piece from a matrix of pieces, spread them out and they all fitted back into the frame,even though one piece wasw taken out. There was no spaces. Then he scattered the pieces again and re assembled them once more.Once again fitted into the frame without gaps. Yet again he had removed one piece.Fantastic I thought, so I asked and I looked on the magic sites.I even asked in magic shops when I was in France.Then my friend David Bishop who lives in France gave me the name of the illusion.."Puzzle paradox"So I bought it on ebay. From Indonesia.It came with a little plastic bag inside, with this message.

"Thank you for buying this product from us. We are graetful that you chose to buy your product from our store when you had the whole world to choose from. I enclose a stamp from our country as a gift. May god bless you and your family"

Now isn't that nice ?

Its a lot better than a shop assistant popping your change into your hand and saying "Next"Or a taxi driver who leaves you 50cent short and drives off with a grunt.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Well things are moving on and now I see an end to the seemingly endless task on which I have been working.I must have become a magnet for hopeless lame ducks in sharp decline.I saw her standing there holding on to a lamp post. 60 ish slim and drunk.Times are hard so I stopped. She was going to a late night chemist on the Malahide Rd. but it was closed.The only other place I knew of that would be open was in O'Connell St.So off we went and she told me of how bad she felt about being drunk."I went back to school at 46 and did a masters at UCC, and I never touched alcohol until I was 48, that was the day my husband of 30 years walked out on me".I kid you not folks she has had a tough life.I turned off the meter at €20 but she was insistent that I turn it back on. (You can't restart a meter from where you left off)What do you want to hear ?How her father a police man walked out on her mother and 3 kids ?How her mother used to beat them with a stick, she would take the brunt of the attacks to protect the smaller infants. "After the beatings I could push the blood around which was lying under my skin"

After she got her Masters degree.She worked as a social worker, helping aids victims, directing help for the homeless.

Then one day she was on outreach for vulnerable children, "The girl was not bad, just wild. I told my Superior that I had gained this girls trust and I wanted to go to her on that day.My Superior told me to go to Cabra on a non urgent case as it turned out. That was the day the 14 year old girl was killed. They tried to push the blame on to me. Then I really started to drink"

So now she is in emergency accommodation for homeless people and her life is full of woe.

"I always thought if you were a good person and you tried hard to do the best thing you can for yourself and your family, that things would work out fine"

Friday, July 22, 2011

Remember a month or so ago I fell asleep at the traffic lights?Others whom I have worked with in the past have had heart attacks.

Time to take notice of whats happening and flow with the current for a while.

I have to supervise a project for a friend who is away, just a hour of work in the morning with the taxi and anyone I can pick up as I pass along my route.

Well that photographer in the last posting had a really good website.Look at this one. The leaflet came through the door and for once it did not go straight in the bin.An oriental restaurant should be red and yellow..With Dragons. This one is in black and white it also says that the meat is Irish, and healthy options, we have a cookery school ! That has to be the best idea ever.It says our kitchens are so clean that you can come in and meet the cook and he will teach you.The other chef Conrad Gallagher who opened a cookery school has had to close 2 of his restaurants ! He omitted to make a tax return.Years ago there was a character called Sean Gallagher, he rang a restaurant called the Mirabeau, there was no prices on the menu, "If you have to ask the price, then you can't afford it" He did quite well until the tax man went through the books...He was busted !Then the memorable quote came into being."Sean was a really good cook, meat,fish,game anything. But he was useless when it came to cooking the books". I met his chef one night, an x cruise liner chef he was a really good guy, very entertaining.On the subject of charging what you like.I wrote about Blackpool where a Sunday roast with a pint costs £5, well a friend of mine was at a wedding, he doesn't drink himself, so he bought a vodka and coke for his wife and a bottle of water and a splash of blackcurrant for himself. he gave in €20 and looked at the change, when he looked at the receipt he noticed that he had been charged €3.90 for bottle of water and €1.40 for the dash of blackcurrant. He prosted and the manager was sent for.His attitude was that that was the price and that if he couldn't afford it he should go elsewhere, now Liam could well aford it but, he handed back the water and got a refund.The managers attitude put a seed of poison into Liam and he went away to the local off licence and bought 2 bottles of Vodka and 2 large bottles of Coke and put them on the table for the guests.The manager came back and protested."Sorry mate this is a private function, unless you can show us a notice to the fact, this is the way it is, and one other thing the VAT has been reduced by 4% since this wedding was booked !I will be looking that the reduction has been passed on to my sister

Don't try to rob people,it will come back on you big time"

Big panic the other day, a booby trap device under a jeep on Seville place! There is a bit of a conflict with a few families down there.Traffic in a jam, not one diversion notice in sight, Same old crap. You spend 30 Min's. getting there just to be sent back.

What they should do id to DIVERT THE TRAFFIC AWAY.

Wow! I had another girl in the car with a magical voice ! I couldn't place it. But she was French to an English father. But she worked all over the world. I could hear South African, then Indian and a complete seamless blend. I met a guy who had worked on cruise ships for 30 years and something like that had happened to him.But in this case we heard the Goldberg veriations,her voice was music.

Do you believe in God ? a passinger once aske me.I do indeed. But not like your God, my God is female, she would make you smile, she tells me I am the most precious ting to her. When she is near I am calm and I can smell her perfume.I canot stand that God who is spiteful and allows his servants to abuse children.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Today I took a moment off to meet Agata Stoinska "Irish business woman of the year". When I read about her victory it got me thinking about the new blood coming into Ireland, these people staffed our hotels and shops at the beginning. Now they are moving up in the world.Agata was a an architect but then moved to her passion which is photography.

Her studio is above a garage on North Great Charles St. (I had to find it with the sat nav.) I have brought 4 lots of people to it now.You can rent a space to do a shoot or rehearse a play.The studio also hosts exhibitions Plus they do a photography course.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

666.I just see the number of posts I have done.That is the number of the Devil.

Child abuse by the clergy is once again a top news item.

Ian Paisley in one of his rants shouted. "Satan lives in the Vatican"

How so many good people can be misled by corrupt officials I will never understand.The well being of a child should surely be the most important thing on this earth.

If you believe in the fluffy cloud heaven, then the angels must be crying in despair.

Another scandal came to the surface when a 47 year old traveller woman was sentenced to 24 years in jail for a catalogue of cruelty to her 8 children, beating, stabbing, scalding and starving them over a 12 year period. The poor judge who had to listen to it all could not understand how it was not noticed sooner, or why it was not stopped by someone earlier.

Another scumbag beat up elderly patients in a nursing home. He terrified the Filipino assistants and told them that their working visas would be taken away if they said anything.I spoke to a customer who had assessed a few of the victims. Well I hope we have somewhere nice to put this scumbag, in with a load of psychopaths who will teach him a bit of respect for peoples personal safety.

I am amazed by mankind's ability to do fantastic good deeds, people like Mother Theresa or Christina Noble or that priest who fights the corrupt officials in Thiland to save young prostatutes.I am equally shocked and horrified at what evil deeds we are capable of.

Perhaps the way the tabloids tapped into voice mails of 911 victims.

Rupert Murdoch just says he is sorry that he was caught hacking into the voicemail of a murdered child Millie Dowler, or that indeed he is sorry he was caught trying to listen into the voicemail of 911 victims.

WHAT A PIECE OF INFECTION HE IS.

It is so offside to hack into the voice mail of a murdered schoolgirl.

No boys and girls, we must stand by our own principles and not be ruled by the mob!

Years ago I saw a photograph of a beautiful lady sitting on a hospital bench at Loughlinstown hospital in complete shock.

Front page news!

Her husband had been caught in fishing nets and had been pulled overboard.She had come to the hospital to identify his body.

So some low life took her photograph!

I very very seldom buy that paper.

12 million people facing starvation in Africa, very few people care. (that's not true) but the people who do care are not heard.

A girl once wrote a piece about me . Gave my name, she told the people how I wrote about the personal details of my passengers, I was so angry at the time, so I asked the people who read the blog if that was true.

What I write about is the human condition, how we are different etc. and how we contrast.Nothing more.

Back to Corfu. Ken is our MC He is funny, he knows one of the guests, he introduces him.

"HOW MANY RECORDS DID YOU MAKE ? 22 ! THAT'S FANTASTIC"

"We were shite" the lad said

"No 22 that is good"

Ken had a a few great lines in comedy. "Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a big plastic bucket of the finest wine for your enjoyment, I know it it good, because we were using it as paint stripper, but it was damaging the sink! No No it really is a great vintage, at least that's what it said on the tin"

So later on I talked to the guitarist about fame and how some people can't handle it when it comes. He told me that what his limited success had done for him was to allow him to work as a session man for many great groups and to go on tour with them around the world.He had become great friends with many of the greats including a lead guitarist who had a worldwide 2 times Platinum hit record.

Fame destroyed him, he turned to drugs and descended into the abyss.

The other guys in the group(which I won't name)became millionaires.

Some of his friends helped in the the addicts rescue, the richest ones did not.Then lets call him Mike decided to try and rescue his old muse, if I told you the name of the song no matter which country in the world you lived in you would know it.So he was now in Corfu away from his drug pushing "friends" and Mike was taking a cruise with us to have a bit of a chill out.Mike was saying that he regrets the loss of such a talent to the world.

But that is the cruel side of life, you get one thing and you loose another.

I picked up an old guy who used to work with me 20 years ago. I instantly recognized him."We buried 5 of out colleagues last month" he saidHe also told me about a guy who worked with us. Well this man went off for the day and while he was away his house caught fire. No,it was in the countryside and it burned to the ground.All he was left with when he came back was the clothes he was standing up in.

Foolish man to say the least, he had no house insurance.

There is always someone worse off than yourself.

I have been working too hard. The pressure of not making any money was stressing me out.So I'm taking time off for myself and the painting. Doors and ceilings mostly. No landscapes for me.

In the Kesh where the taxi drivers wait to be called up there is a list of around 6 A4 sheets of paper giving the taxi plate numbers of school teachers who are driving taxis, also which schools they teach in.The font size is quite small, so there are a lot of names on it.

I was coming home when I was stopped by a girl who has fibromyalgia. Poor girl she is in constant pain and she told me of her ills. Young enough, 22 perhaps her entire life is on hold. Friends who have not sen her for a while pass her in the street as she has changed so much. Indeed her hair is falling out and because she can't exercise she is putting on weight.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The old property developers are dropping like dominoes.Bernard McNamara is in the news again. He was one of the high flyer's in the property boom. Now he is being forced to sell trophy properties on Ailesbury rd. at more than a 2/3 discount, if he can indeed get that price at all.Then there is a house in the UK called Uptown Court. It was put on the market for £70 million. Now our NAMA is going to sell it. The Irish Nationwide has a £50 mil mortgage on it.The house has 11 acres of gardens,46 acres of woodland.It has 24 en-suite bedrooms. 5 swimming pools,stables. Tennis and Squash courts, a bowling alley, a panic room, a cinema and garage space for 8 cars.Enough marble to cover 3 football pitches went into its construction.Just to give you an idea of what such a house costs to run, heat clean etc £500,000 a year.He claims to be talking to 3 possible buyers as I write.

Still Someone in the UK bought the winning Euromillions ticket.€185 Million prize !Well done, with this amount of money,the secret of your success is complete silence.Become a secret million are, helping people as you go.Remember three people can only keep a secret when the other two are dead.

All that money! and 12 millions starve in Africa.

Well a lady from Boston stopped me, she was going to the US embassy trying to get her visa renewed.I asked her to find out if my old taxi plate 2473 is still hanging up in the Crossroads bar on Beacon St. When the numbering system changed I brought them over to America. One side is in Boston the other in New York. I didn't want to throw them out so I gave them away.

Her roots are in Wexford, so I told her about a great book I have about the Wexford people who settled in Nova Scotia and we had a great conversation about the Irish when they work abroad. The are sometimes inclined to stick to their own people. Drink in Irish pubs, play Gaelic games and go to Irish clubs.. Well not her or her husband. They just love the mix of cultures in Boston and they spend their time with their friends regardless of race ,color or creed.

THAT IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.

I also told her about the Irish girl going to Poland a few years ago now. She was also a civil engineer, she had a company with her brothers building roads etc. he Celtic Tiger slowed down and the funding stopped.She told me that they had a staff meeting and the Polish workers begged them not to liquidate the company. So they went to Poland and they are building roads there. Their staff rose to the challenge and it is a great success. Whether you know it or not, that Polish girl making your coffee is really well educated, the trades people are very good too they turn up on time and work to a finish. On that trip I told her about a customer who was being bullied at work.She had brought over an Irish engineer, and he in turn started to bully 2 Lithuanian lads.He was called in to the office and warned twice. Then he got a written warning. Then he got the boot."He is sitting on his arse at home in Limerick now with no job, saying he did nothing wrong"

I would say that her ship is well run.

Things are going from bad to worse in the taxi game. I seemed that a few feathers were ruffled when the Prime time on the taxi industry was shown, now the industry has started to Delcine further.The taxi rank at Jamese's St. hospital has been taken over by a private taxi company, Global taxis. Private company taxis park in front of the D4 hotel which means that the customers do not walk out on to the rank at the road.

Some of this has been caused by bad manners and rudeness by certain drivers. But it is very drastic to close access to work for the other honest and well behaved taxi drivers.The taxi council which has been brought together has not got one taxi driver on it. Instead it has fleet owners and radio taxi companies on it.Ireland's taxi industry will be like New York's. The Russian Italian and Irish Mafia will own all the plates. They will pay bribes to officials. If you want to work you pay your days rental, regardless whether you have a good day or not.

SO IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE PEOPLE.

contact joecostellotd@gmail.com

pat.rabbitte@oreachtas.ie

or Leo Varadkar our minister of transport.

minister@dttas.ie

There will be a blitz on illegal taxis for the next 4 weeks, or so I hear.

Lets hope it happens.

They were on the Sackville place rank today.

Why they do not follow the guys who pull off the rank when the garda appear defeats all logic.Instead they go through the paperwork of the guys who remain on the rank.

Talking about bad manners.Irish manners has become so bad.I had a shouting match with a guy who would not pull back and let me into traffic. So I got out of the car, the traffic was stopped anyhow. After a few more insults were thrown I reminded him that the penalty for talking on his fone while driving was €80 plus 2 penalty points. Since he was still talking on the fone at the time I told him he should go to the circus, as they are always looking for clowns.

Friday, July 08, 2011

For hangig up the socks, I call it a socktapus.A new venture cycling ice cream sellers

Bless them all big and small

I was heading home through Fairvew, a man put out his hand and I checked if he was trying to stop a bus behind me. I was hired.He started talking and what he said made sober listening.Jesus I am in a bad way son. I found a couple of days ago that my hand was shaking so much that I would spill half of a cup of tea as I was drinking it, I was in a really bad way. I asked if he had had a mild stroke.No son my doctor told me I was having a minor nervous breakdown. Nothing too serious, but he would have to do a lot of tests to make sure I was on the right track again.He lives alone and has not worked for 6 years, he had a triple heart by-pass and he is a diabetic. He takes a very strong sleeping tablet (30mg) and last night he put 20 tablets in a row on the kitchen table and was just about to take them all. His neighbor walked in and looked at him. Seeing the look on his face he told him that he should go to see a doctor. Then he saw the tablets on the table.His neighbor was shocked and scooped up all the tablets and took the rest of the drugs from the house. The next morning he drove the poor bloke to the doctor.He had rung the Samaritans that night and a lovely woman spoke to him very gently, when he had composed his feelings she made him promise that he would seek medical help. She was very good,I asked him if there was anything that pushed him over the edge?Yes he said, my sons are always coming over and telling me their troubles, relationships, money and no work. I can't help them, I am worse off myself.

I am the oldest of 15 children, the doctor told me to think of how this would effect their lives and the lives of all the other people around me.

What frightened him most of all is that he seemed to be acting against his willpower.

He told me he didn't listen to our national radio station, which is full of doom and gloom. But he was a television addict. Loved listening to Nat King Cole and Mat Monroe. (A bit of an old romantic)

I hope you will confront your kids and tell them to fuck off with their problems. The doctor told me to do that as well, yous are right.

He was clearly shaken by the events, but I will say a prayer to my God, tonight perhaps we will say a short prayer to all our different Gods all over the world for the people standing on window ledges ready to jump.

Perhaps we should all stop moaning about our own problems a bit more and listen out for others.

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Wow boys and girls ! What about that €170 million jackpot not being won..Next one €200 million or more.Good luck and if you win, don't forget the hungry in Africa.

I was all in a heap last week, the Tango Fiesta took up all my time.You had to see it, dance is poetry in motion for sure.

I have worked all my life, in factories, with horses,in electrics, cash in transit. So now I have decided I will work to live and enjoy my life a bit more.

Nothing bothers me more or less.If something comes up I go with the flow.

So anyhow I had a trip lined up to Monkstown and on the way I called into Sandymount where this fantastic cat was lying by the curb.A black E type Jaguar no less!1960s and all that.What a beautiful machine, I just had to photograph it.

I spoke to a man sitting at the table. "It represents 10 years work" he said. The proud owner, 15 minutes of praise was loaded on to him.

So when I had picked up the fire I remembered Mountown Motors which was not far away.So I drove over to the place. Doug Skakie is a classic car "anorak". He saw the photographs I had taken and he knew so much about that car that he nearly knew the chassis Nr. of the vehicle.So we discussed cars for quite a while!Now you can take your car to a garage and a guy will work on it. Fair enough. Or you can find a guy who is passionate about cars. He knows the difference between a dipstick and a big end, as well as that he has an interest in what he is doing.

So on Thursday I will be getting my transmission fluid changed and my plugs.

I am a bit like the wolf who hunts alone, some work for a radio company and give 20% discount(the driver not the radio company) Others work the airport and pay €420 for the pass to pick up people. You used to be able to apply a "pick up charge" but not any more.You might have to wait 2 1/2 hours for a job of €10. These guys just go back again for more.The taxi rank at the James's St. hospital is gone to private hands. Yesterday I found out why. It appears that taxi drivers were coming up and getting "Last" from the car in front and then driveing away. The driver would then come back later and demand his place back in the queue, there was fighting all the time and the hospital had had enough.Customers of mine have told me that they walk past certian taxi ranks because they find the way the drivers behave intimidates them.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Just a random observation.I picked her up in Blackhall Place, she was going to a doctor in Cabra.Doubled up in pain with a very sallow complexion.Junkie came to mind, pregnant too.She was crying out in pain, tears rolling down her face.

"Look shouldn't we go to a hospital?" I said

"No mister,just the doctor"

I reckon she was having a miscarriage.

€5.80 on the meter.

"Just give me €5"

I lead her to the footpath "Theres €7 and God bless, you are a great person."

So there you have a casual observation.

A really pretty girl on perhaps on drugs, perhaps loosing her baby, she is kind and compassionate.

Monday, July 04, 2011

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers, cousins and friends.I was in Boston a few years ago and saw 1812 being performed on the banks of the Charles river to fireworks. Sad to say it was in heavy rain.I often hear visitors to Ireland are dismayed at how this is just another day for us, nothing special.Have a click here

Friday, July 01, 2011

Greek folk dancersColfu toilet sign. you cannot put toilet paper into the toilet, it has to go in the bin !The beautiful flora of CorfuThis is the Gay Pride flag flying onet the Sin Fein offices.Who ever would have thought it.

Happy Canada day for all my Canadian readers.May the mounties never get you !

Boys and girls, us men are very stupid ! C'est true!So htere I was with a guy in the taxi heading for Pearse St. when a French "lady"(I use the term loosley) hailed me. The guy in the back was OK to share. So off we went and when he got out she said "I only have 20 minutes to make my flight to Bordeaux".So what did I do ?

Well if I wrote it here the policwe would be banging on the door and arresting me.In 15 minutes we were there 165 Kph.

I had forgotten to restart the meter when I dropped off the other guy, so there was only €21 on the clock including the toll for the tunnell. The attendent had made a mistake ano only charged me €3

The bitch gave me a €50 I gave her back a 20 and 2 5s

Now guess what.

Wow, we are on time!She said.

Then she put all the cahnge in her pocket and fucked off.

Well I will be taking lessons from the DC cabby. The only time you try to help is when there is CASH ON THE DASH. I.E. PAID IN FULL UP FRONT !A while ago I had a passinger giving me greif about the flow of traffic, she was insting I go one way I wanted to go another way."Listen mam, we can go any way you want. But I will make a deal with you. Let me go my way and if you are late you get the fare for free. When we arrive on time you pay me double"We shook on it. Deal done !It was all agreed and we arrived on time €24 on th meter she handed me €25 and insisted that I gave her €1 back !